July is set to be a very busy month for smartphone brands. The month is going to see a number of leading brands releasing some very high-profile phones in the Indian market. Some of them fight on design, some claim to be super innovative, while others rely on the good old great-specs-for-not-too-much-money formula. All in all, if you are in the market for a new smartphone, the month of July is going to bring you plenty of options across a number of price points. Here are six of the most notable phones that will be unveiled in July.
Note: The information given below is based on the information available at the time of writing, from both official as well as industry sources.
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: Nostalgia Meets Futurism
Nostalgia is all set to blend with futurism when Motorola takes the wraps off its next flip phone. Nostalgia because the flip phone was something created by Motorola in 1996 with the Moto StarTAC and then made iconic with the OG Moto Razr in 2005. And futurism because the new Razr is going to bring features of the new age along like a foldable display.
Motorola is marketing it as the phone with the “world’s largest external display” and the “world’s slimmest flip phone”. That external display is going to be a 3.6-inch pOLED one with a 1,066×1,056 pixels resolution and 144Hz refresh rate.
Opening the Razr 40 Ultra will reveal a 6.9-inch display with a staggering 165Hz refresh rate. Motorola is promising a superb 12-megapixel rear camera with OIS paired with a 13-megapixel ultrawide sensor that will also do macro shots, as well as a very good 32-megapixel selfie camera.
Also on board would be 33W fast charging as well as wireless charging. And making sure that all this flies at the rate of knots is the task of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. Throw in splash resistance, clean Android and a number of interesting functions and features and this could well be the Razr that gets Moto right back into the big league.
The price is going to be crucial, as the device will be going up against the still formidable Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4. Some sources are expecting it to be priced in the Rs 70,000 to Rs 75,000 range, but we have no confirmation yet.
Nothing Phone (2): Much Ado About Nothing Guaranteed
In terms of sheer interest in the tech community, this is perhaps the most anticipated phone of not just July, but even one of the most anticipated phones of the year so far. Former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei’s new initiative, Nothing, made waves last year with its smartphone, the Phone (1), thanks to an innovative transparent design with LEDs on the back, and very smooth performance.
The brand is now set to launch its second phone, the Phone (2), and the hype machine is in overdrive already. Although exact specs and design are not known, the brand has already said that the Phone (2) will be powered by a Qualcomm 8+ Gen 1 processor, which is a huge step up from the Snapdragon 778G+ on the Phone (1).
It also seems to indicate that Nothing will be moving into a higher price segment with this device (the Phone (1) was priced at Rs 32,999).
There is some talk of a larger display, a more elaborate Glyph UI (the pattern of LED lights on the back of the phone), and a highly improved but still clean Nothing OS 2.0 interface. Consumers would also be expecting better cameras and faster charging, and hopefully, a price tag that is closer to mid-segment than premium (speculation places prices between Rs 40,000 – Rs 45,000).
OnePlus Nord 3: A New Nord Chapter
OnePlus Nord series has been a massive success since it was launched in 2020, becoming one of the most popular mid-segment brands in the country. And July will see the launch of the OnePlus Nord 3, the fourth Nord flagship (after the Nord, Nord 2 and Nord 2T). 
OnePlus has revealed that the Nord 3 comes with a beautiful 17.11 cm (around 6.8 inches) display with 120Hz refresh rate, and will also feature the traditional OnePlus alert slider, while as per the rumour mill, the phone will be powered by the same powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chip that was used in the OnePlus Pad and will also feature LPDDR5x RAM, which is a rarity in this segment.
The phone is also expected to feature a Sony main sensor with OIS and a large 5,000mAh battery with up to 80W fast charging.
All this will come in a typically understated minimalistic design with grey and green colours.
Some say that all this might come with a slightly higher than usual price, and might even start at as high as Rs 34,999, but this is just speculation.
iQoo Neo 7 Pro: A Fearless Gaming Flame?
Vivo’s sub-brand iQoo has gone back to its gaming roots with a vengeance in 2023, even hiring a chief gaming officer. Its forthcoming Neo 7 Pro also has a very strong gaming angle to it, and is being marketed with a ‘Born for passionate gaming’ tagline.
On offer are what iQoo calls a dual chip setup with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip paired with an ‘independent gaming chip,’ which will result in better frame rates and smoother gaming action.
Also on board are going to be a 50-megapixel main camera sensor with OIS and a 120W fast charging that can get the battery (expected to be around 5000 mAh) up to 50 per cent in a mere 8 minutes. The display is rumoured to be a 6.78-inch AMOLED one with an FHD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate.
It is not just its innards that are impressive — the Neo 7 Pro will also come with a bright orange premium leather design that iQoo calls ‘Fearless Flame’ which will certainly grab attention.
There are some who say that the phone will be priced around Rs 35,000 and if that truly is the case, it would certainly be a headache for many, given those specs and design.
Samsung Galaxy M34: M For Mid-Segment Marvel?
Its flagship S series and Flip and Fold foldable might make bigger headlines, but Samsung’s excellent M series has a following in its own right, thanks to consistently offering very good performance and specs at mid-segment prices. 
July is going to see a new entrant to the M series, the Galaxy M34. In the best M series tradition, it will come with some very good hardware — a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate; a 50-megapixel ‘no-shake’ (we assume OIS) camera with a number of shooting modes, including a special night mode and filters; and what Samsung terms a ‘monster’ 6000 mAh battery.
Rumour has it that the phone will be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 1080 chip and will be priced between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000. It could be a potential headache for the likes of the Realme 11 Pro and the Redmi Note 12 Pro.
Realme Narzo 60 Series: Bringing A Martian Horizon To Earth
This year has seen Realme go off the boil a little, but the brand remains a key player in the Indian smartphone market. July will see it release the next set of devices in its mid-segment Narzo series, the Narzo 60. 
The highlight of the phone will be what Realme calls the ‘Martian Horizon’ design with vegan leather being used on the back, along with a very large circular camera unit — shades of the Realme 11 Pro, which was released not too long ago. As per what has been shown, the phone will come with a curved display and its back will feature a 100-megapixel main sensor. Sources say that the phone will feature an FHD+ AMOLED display and will be powered by a MediaTek Helio G96 chip, and come with a 5,000mAh battery.
Relame has been dropping hints that the phone will come with the ability to store 2,50,000 images — that strongly hints at a 1TB storage variant, which is unheard of in the mid-segment. The series is supposed to have a plain and a Pro variant, and prices are expected to be in the Rs 19,000 – Rs 25,000 zone.